QUARTERBACKS: A-
Matthew Stafford had a frustrating day, but when it mattered most, he led the Lions on an 80-yard drive in the final minute to give Detroit the improbable victory. He finished with a monster stat line, completing 33-48 passes for 488 yards and a touchdown.

The call at the end of the game was the icing on the cake. Instead of spiking the ball, which everyone including his own teammates expected him to do, Stafford leaped over the unsuspecting Cowboys defense for the game-winner.

Stafford did throw two interceptions, one of which was his fault. The quarterback didn't see Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee when trying to connect with slot receiver Jeremy Ross down the seam. Lee returned the pass 74 yards to the Lions 4-yard line and the Cowboys scored a touchdown three plays later.

RUNNING BACKS: B-
Reggie Bush vowed to be more aggressive in this game and he ran the ball well against the Cowboys, picking up 92 yards on 19 carries. But Bush also had one of the Lions' biggest blunders, failing to secure the football while transferring it between hands and fumbling it back over to Dallas.

Backup Joique Bell wasn't used much, but made the most of his opportunities, catching a 22-yard screen pass and snapping off a 16-yard run in the second half. Bell also scored on a one-yard plunge in the fourth quarter to narrow Detroit's deficit to 20-17.

WIDE RECEIVERS: B
Johnson had an unbelievable performance, catching 14 passes for 329 yards and a touchdown, the second-highest single-game total in NFL history.

He was also responsible for two turnovers. Johnson dropped a pass over the middle and Lee came up with the deflected ball in the second quarter. Johnson also fumbled one away, recovered by cornerback Brandon Carr.

Detroit's other receivers did almost nothing until Kris Durham came up with a clutch 40-yard reception down the left sideline during the game-winning drive.

TIGHT ENDS: D
Brandon Pettigrew made an impressive, diving grab for 17 yards in the first half. But otherwise, the tight ends were a non-factor.

Potentially underutilized in the game plan, rookie Joseph Fauria wasn't targeted and struggled with his blocking assignments. His biggest impact was picking up an unnecessary roughness penalty after an interception.

OFFENSIVE LINE: B+
This group was banged up coming into the contest with left tackle Riley Reiff dealing with a hamstring strain and undrafted rookie LaAdrian Waddle starting in place of Corey Hilliard and Jason Fox at right tackle.

Overall, the group played well -- opening up sizable run lanes for Bush and Bell while allowing a reasonable amount of pass-rush pressure and just one sack.

DEFENSIVE LINE: B-
The sacks weren't there, but the defensive line certainly got more pressure on Dallas quarterback Tony Romo than the group did against Andy Dalton last week. The front four tallied four hits on Romo, including three by Nick Fairley. Ndamukong Suh came up with two key pressures on third downs, resulting in incompletions and forcing punts.

Also, rookie Devin Taylor drew a hold to stop the clock in the closing minutes, giving the Lions enough time to drive for the game-winning score.

LINEBACKERS: C
A nondescript day for the linebackers. They didn't really give up any big plays, but they didn't make any either. Stephen Tulloch led the Lions with eight tackles, including one for a loss.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: C-
This unit played outstanding through three quarters, limiting Romo to 11-26 for 88 yards and a touchdown.

But everything fell apart in the fourth quarter. Rookie Darius Slay did a poor job defending Terrance Williams on a short slant that the receiver turned into 60-yard score after breaking the tackle of safety Glover Quin near the goal line.

On the Cowboys' next drive, Rashean Mathis lost Dez Bryant in coverage and safety Louis Delmas missed a tackle in support, allowing Bryant to break free for a 50-yard touchdown that put Dallas up 10 with seven minutes remaining.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B
Sam Martin bounced back from the disastrous punt that cost the Lions the game against the Bengals, averaging better than 50 yards on his four punts.

With Micheal Spurlock inactive, Jeremy Ross stepped up and delivered a 44-yard return on the only kickoff he brought out of the end zone.

The only knock on the special teams was letting dangerous return man Dwayne Harris break free for a 56-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter. He finished with strong numbers overall, averaging 37.7 yards on kickoffs and 12.5 on punts.

COACHING: A-
The Lions coaching staff drew up an excellent game plan that moved the chains all day and shut down the Cowboys offense for three quarters. When things fell apart in the fourth quarter, it wasn't schematic breakdowns, it was poor execution.

Plus, although it was early in the game, the decision to go for it on 4th-and-goal and come away with a touchdown in the first quarter proved to be a difference-making decision.